Ecclesiastes 8

Obey Rulers

1Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom 1illumines 2him and causes his 3stern face to 4beam.

2I say, “Keep the 5command of the king because of the 6oath 7before God. 3Do not be in a hurry 89to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” 4Since the word of the king is authoritative, 10who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

5He who 11keeps a royal command 12experiences no 13trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. 6For 14there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him. 7If no one 15knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? 816No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and 17evil will not deliver 18those who practice it. 9All this I have seen and applied my 19mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised 20authority over another man to his hurt.

10So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are 21soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility. 11Because the 22sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore 23the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may 24lengthen his life, still I know that it will be 25well for those who fear God, who fear 26Him openly. 13But it will 27not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a 28shadow, because he does not fear God.

14There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are 29righteous men to whom it 30happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are 31evil men to whom it 32happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. 15So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for 33a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his 34toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16When I 35gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should 3637never sleep day or night), 17and I saw every work of God, I concluded that 38man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and 39though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.